奉献
fèngxiàn · HSK 6
present with all respect
🙏 奉 = offer with both hands + 献 = present/dedicate
奉 depicts hands raising something up respectfully; 献 originally meant offering a sacrificial dog at a ritual vessel. Together: to present something with full reverence, dedicate oneself entirely.
献 — 南 (south, phonetic) + 犬 (dog, semantic)
Originally written 獻, this character depicted a dog (犬) being offered, with 鬳 serving as the phonetic component indicating a ritual cauldron. It referred to presenting sacrificial offerings to ancestors or rulers. The meaning broadened over time to 'offer' or 'dedicate' in general, and the modern simplified form 献 replaces 鬳 with 南.